HC Deb 29 October 1909 vol 12 cc1337-8

(1) There shall be charged on and paid out of the Consolidated Fund or the growing produce thereof in every financial year a sum (in this Act referred to as the road improvement grant) equal to the net proceeds in each year of the duties on motor spirit and the net proceeds in each year of the duties on licences for motor cars which are affected by this Act.

(2) The road improvement grant shall be carried to a separate account to be established under regulations made by the Treasury for the purpose, and, subject to such regulations as may be made by the Treasury with respect to accounts, audit, and accumulation of moneys standing to the account, be appropriated in such manner as Parliament may determine towards the development of roads in the United Kingdom.

(3) The expression "the net proceeds of the duties" means the amount of those duties paid into the Exchequer, after deducting such sums as are certified by the Commissioners to be the cost of collecting the duties, and after deducting in the case of duties payable on licences for motor cars any sum which is payable to any local taxation account in respect of the proceeds of those duties, or to any council in respect of any deficiency in the proceeds of those duties.

Mr. HOBHOUSE moved, in Sub-section (1), to leave out the words "in every financial year."

Sir F. BANBURY

As the Clause now stands, it provides that the proceeds of every financial year shall be allocated to certain purposes. The right hon. Gentleman moves the omission of those words. It may be all right, but I would like to know what words are to be put in.

Mr. HOBHOUSE

By the words as originally drafted, the result would be that we would have to wait until the end of the year before we could pay over the money that comes into the Exchequer. By the omission of these words, as the money comes into the Exchequer we will be able to pay it over month by month and week by week, and the local authorities will get the money at once, instead of having to wait until the end of the year.

Question, "That those words stand part of the Bill," put, and negatived.

Drafting Amendments also made.